VISITINGBFI'sFUTURE FILM FESTIVALcompliments of DOGWOOF!

The British Film Institute held its annual 'Future Film Festival' from the 21st to 23rd of February for people aged 15-25 looking to progress in areas of the film industry. It's divided into Fiction, Animation and Documentary over three days. Held at the BFI Southbank in London, visitors are treated to: masterclasses, Q&As, workshops and screenings all geared towards helping attendees progress in their respective field. I entered a competition on Twitter to be a part of it and was selected by DOGWOOF (a fore-running DVD distributor of excellent documentaries) for two tickets to attend the Documentary Day.

Hussain Currimbhoy presents at BFI

When I arrived at the BFI, there was a really great energy in the air from people, a buzz from the festival. In the morning, I attended an IdeasTap presentation about breaking into the documentary industry, with a panel made up of accomplished filmmakers Katrina Mansoor and Tristan Anderson. I thought this was a useful talk and had a solid unpatronising vibe which resonated with me. They talked a lot about the personal side of making films and how it affects normal life. Of course, they're things I am (and I'm sure others are) sorely aware of. Though a reiteration from persons deep in the industry is a reassuring statement as someone like myself adjusts and moves forward through inevitable difficulty that can affect self-esteem and motivation. I talked to Tristan after the session about my work and he was really pleasant to talk to. He invited me to submit to his own screening/network night as an opportunity for me, the well-known DocHeads.

The second session was presented by Hussain Currimbhoy, a programmer of Sheffield Doc/Fest. I really enjoyed this Prezi rundown of a (brief) history of documentary film. It encompassed many theories, styles and international works into a tight schedule that moved from the dawn of film chronologically to modern day. Considering the 2 hours or less he had, I was very impressed at the scope of it! I came away with new films I'd jotted down to watch and a re-appreciation of many others.

Sadly, the third session didn't take place. Call in Sherlock, because the speaker who was going to talk about funding myths disappeared... If anyone knows what happened and why, I'd love to know?! Apparently he just walked away. Perhaps he felt inspired? Perhaps I'm being overly optimistic? Haha, it was shame but oh well, I was left with more time to delve into the BFI Shop a.k.a. The Abyss of Treasures. I'd been dying to go in there all day and it was a real treat, as I'd assumed. The shop contained masses of cinema and no less than the whole libraries of my favourite DVD labels: MASTERS OF CINEMA, ARROW VIDEO and BFI DVD. It felt like Toys R' Us in the 90s. Absolutely amazing.

Referencing from earlier, check out IDEASTAP if you haven't done so already. I met my collaborator for THE BODY CANVAS on the site and it's a valuable resource for artists/filmmakers in terms of connecting, funds and networking.

Thanks for reading about my time at the Future Film Festival and THANK YOU Dogwoof for selecting me for the Documentary Day tickets. It was much appreciated!

Masters of CinemaReleasing *RARE* Fellini & Kubrick

Twitter: @mastersofcinema

I sincerely hope everybody reading this has had a fulfilling Christmas and began the new year feeling positive, looking ahead. Now the inevitable hangovers are (surely) out of the way and the dense cheery food just about recovered from - it's time to treat your brains instead of your stomachs with two standout pre-orders from the Masters of Cinema (Eureka Video) label for the beginning of the year.

If you weren't aware, let me tell you that The Masters of Cinema series is seriously important and worth investing in as much as you can. They perpetuate and restore your love for cinema with exquisite stylistic packaging and immaculate booklets filled with treasures of forgotten classics or hidden gems. I simply cannot promote the label enough to you, especially now they're delivering unparalleled blu-rays showcasing some of the greatest works as they deserve to be seen, in HD. The blu-rays sets also come with a Standard DVD version and gorgeous limited edition steelbooks for some. These new titles will be no exception to the usual quality I've come to expect. A short-while ago I even e-mailed them commending their fine work and recieved a personally written e-mail back, explaining my supportive words had been circulated around their team. It's good to know that with a few clicks of a keyboard your words can genuinely reach someone to tell them how pleased you are with something they're doing.

Without further ado - coming our way are two very rare, sought-after films from unadulterated cinematic artists. Fellini's 1980s fantastical exploration of the opposite sex CITY OF WOMEN (1980) at the tail end of his career and Kubrick's debut feature FEAR AND DESIRE (1953) also getting a small theatrical re-release (of which the poster is below). The FEAR AND DESIRE (1953) DVD set also includes three short works from Kubrick! I can't review the features as I'll be experiencing them for the first time on DVD when they're out, though I can tell you that they undoubtedly plug a vital hole for the UK market for both filmographies. These will be worthy off attention and adding to all collections come January / February:

Federico Fellini’s epic 1980 fantasia introduced the start of the Maestro’s delirious late period. A surrealist tour-de-force filmed on soundstages and locations alike, and overflowing with the same sensory (and sensual) invention heretofore found only in the classic movie-musicals (and Fellini’s own oeuvre)...

Marcello Mastroianni appears as Fellini’s alter ego in a semi-reprise of his character from 8-1/2, Snàporaz. As though passing into a dream, the charismatic avatar finds himself initiated into a phantasmagoric world where women — or an idea of women — have taken power, and which is structured like an array of psychosexual set-pieces...

A great adventure “through the looking-glass,” as it were, of Fellini’s own phallic lens and life-long libidinal ruminations, La città delle donnesharply divided critics at the 1980 Festival de Cannes, some of whom had merely anticipated a nostalgic retread of the earlier Mastroianni works. What they were greeted with, and what remains today, is, in the words of Serge Daney, “a victory of cinema”. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present La città delle donne on Blu-ray and DVD in Gaumont’s glorious new HD restoration.

Independently financed with contributions from Stanley Kubrick’s family & friends in an era when an “independent cinema” was still far from the norm... Now, with this new restoration... a film that for decades has remained nearly impossible to see will at last appear in a proper release in the United Kingdom.Kubrick’s debut feature tells the story of a war waged (in the present? in the future?) between two forces. In the midst of the conflict, a plane carrying four soldiers crashes behind enemy lines. From here out, it is kill or be killed: a female hostage is taken on account of being a potential informer; an enemy general and his aide are discovered during a scouting mission… What lies in store for this ragtag group of killers, between their perilous landing in the forest, & the final raft-float downstream…

Bringing into focus for the first time the same thematic concerns that would obsess the director in such masterworks as Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove, and Full Metal Jacket, Fear and Desire marks the outset of the dazzling career & near-complete artistic freedom which to this day remains unparalleled in the annals of Hollywood history. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Stanley Kubrick’s Fear and Desire in its gorgeous new restoration on both Blu-ray and DVD.-http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/-

Ghost STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS | HITCHCOCK TRAILER

GHOST STORIES FOR CHRISTMASAfter years of anticipation, the BFI are finally releasing the celebrated GHOST STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS series fully - as a 5-disc DVD box set. This BBC produced series spanned from 1968-1978 and was made up of MR James ghost story adaptations (with the exception of Dickens' THE SIGNALMAN (1976) & some of the modern ones such as THE ICE HOUSE (1978) ). Included also, are the brief revivals of this film tradition that were made recently: A VIEW FROM A HILL (2005), NUMBER 13 (2006) & WHISTLE AND I'LL COME TO YOU (2010).

This DVD set is incredibly overdue in terms of interest and demand, with the previously released films: A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS (1972), WHISTLE & I'LL COME TO YOU (1968) & THE SIGNALMAN (1976) all racking up extortionate prices in the past few years, becoming increasingly rare on DVD (even garnering interest in similarly rare VHS versions), the popularity of the films has been very evident. Another issue with the previous DVD versions was that they were released singularly, rather than a set; at 50 minutes max running time for each film it made for pretty inefficient use of disc space and lousy value for money. Speaking as one of the fans hunting for these TV gems, it was frustrating but now ultimately worth it, as it clearly demonstrated a decent market for the series exists to the BFI and all that searching/streaming of these lost films must have contributed to the new release.

The great writing, smart pacing and believable acting adds credibility to the films, that clearly follow a typical but highly enjoyable ghost story formula. Obvious set-ups, plots and devices feel recognisable but fresh, they've simply never been implemented as well as this; a testament to the quality of the works. Let's not ignore that's it's the familiarity of situations in horror/mystery films that often allows an audience in, to enjoy and relate, then the subsequent subversion of that. Without going off on a tangent... it's a fitting metaphor to compare a roller-coaster to films like these; you can see what's ahead of you but it seldom doesn't give you a surprise during the ride. We know what it's going to do and we have good foresight of how it'll try to do "IT" - to scare us. A roller-coaster will be enjoyed whilst riding, like watching a film, the satisfaction comes with understanding the ride but being unaware of the path - the then and now within the moment that gives satisfaction. After the film or roller-coaster is finished, how does it linger in the mind? Is that the true test?

If you like your subtler terrors and a more vintage style of scaring an audience, I highly recommend this set. Actually, if you have a DVD player, I recommend it.

The set features the three aforementioned titles and nine other films never-before on DVD. With Halloween close and the road to Christmas upon us, these sought-after eerie films have been shrewdly scheduled for a seasonal sale - of which I've totally bought into and pre-ordered. To read more about GHOST STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS, there is a brief but informative article in Sight & Sound (September 2012 issue) and the full synopsis/context from the BFI can be viewed HERE. The films can also be purchased as individual sets with 2-4 of the films on each (as pictured above).

HITCHCOCKThe trailer for HITCHCOCK has hit and it seems really promising. Rather than being a full life-long biographical film that I'm sure would struggle capturing such a prolific figure, the filmmakers have wisely focussed on a specific period of Hitch's life; that being when the director was trying to get PSYCHO (1960) off the ground and into production. With the hindsight we have as an audience for the film's success and knowing how regarded Psycho (1960) will become, the premise is really interesting. From the trailer, this appears to create some great drama and humour we've been unaware of associated with the film. We can see from the dramatisation of the real events, that it appears it was far from easy to get the classic made and this should make for a great film. Plus, performers such as Scarlett Johansson have pretty much transformed into the older actors they'll portray from Hitchcock's films, it's quite astonishing. Take a look...